Category: TV

Survivor: Final Thoughts

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If you’re a Survivor fan, then there’s a good chance that you thought that this past season was the best yet.  Once again, I felt that Russell deserved to win and once again he made it to the finals only to lose.

After Russell’s first time on Survivor, I declared him the best to have ever played the game.  Now I’m not so sure.  I was going to write a post about why my feelings changed, then I read Survivor host Jeff Probst’s final blog about the season and decided he summed up my feelings about my change of heart better than I could.

The Frazetta/Stallone Connection

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A couple of days ago when I was looking for art to accompany my post about Frank Frazetta’s passing, I considered a ton of pieces.  The decision was a tough one because Mr. Frazetta had created so many iconic images throughout his career and because so many had made such an impression on me.  One that I had considered was the Judge Dredd cover that Frazetta had painted for Mad magazine.  I thought that the cover might be an interesting choice since it had a Sly Stallone connection.  Ultimately, I decided against it.

Today, as I was reading Mark Evanier’s blog, I came across a piece about Frank Frazetta that included a story about how that Mad cover came to be and why the painting’s background had to be yellow.  It’s an interesting post even if you’re not a Stallone or Judge Dredd fan, but even more so if you are.  Plus it gave me the opportunity to post the Frazetta/Stallone connection art.

A 2nd Season is Justified

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Yippee!  FX has ordered a second season [13 episodes] of the new fan favorite series Justified.  That news has made my day.  From The Hollywood Reporter:

“We are very excited about the tremendous, widespread acclaim that Justified has received from both audiences and television critics,” said FX president and GM John Landgraf.  “Graham Yost, Tim Olyphant, Elmore Leonard and their talented partners have crafted a uniquely ambitious and entertaining series which is everything we aspired to when we developed the show.”

“Lost” Cast Tooned Up for Saturday Morning

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I recently discovered the art of Michael Blaine Myers, Jr. through a post called Lost: The Saturday Morning Cartoon over at io9.com.  As you’ve probably figured out already, Myers drew the cast of Lost [including the smoke monster] as they’d look in a Saturday morning cartoon.  Cool idea and cool end result.

You can see more of Michael Blaine Myers, Jr.’s art here and here.  It’s worth checking out!

Iron Man 2: Black Widow

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After busting on the last Iron Man 2 poster, I am happy to report that I really like THIS new Black Widow character poster.  It has a dramatically cropped photo of the very curvaceous Black Widow.  The big “2” created in the “Iron Man” colors and style clues us in to the fact that it’s an Iron Man 2 poster… and for anyone who doesn’t pick up on it, there’s IronManMovie.com listed below it.

Yeah, this poster is a winner!

Elmore Leonard Feels Justified

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TVGuide.com just posted a piece titled Elmore Leonard: Justified Gets It Just Right.  I’m happy that Elmore Leonard, who wrote the novella that the series is based on, is as happy with the show as the rest of us [on the night it premiered it ranked No. 1 on cable in overall viewers and in its time slot beat the broadcast networks among men 18-to-49].  I was was even happier to learn that…

…Leonard has begun work on a new Raylan Givens story which he hopes might inspire plots for the show’s second season, if FX renews the series… And if they don’t, Leonard says he will pen a couple more Raylan stories and publish a collection.

[Not the] Greatest Cartoons in History

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Earlier this week CoedMagazine.com listed their choices for The 10 Greatest Saturday Morning Cartoons in History.  So, using just their top ten, here is my top four:

  • 4.  The Superfriends
  • 3. Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends
  • 2.  H.R. Pufnstuf
  • 1. The Wacky Racers

I have to tell you, their choices stink.  First of all, how are H.R. Pufnstuf, Sigmun the Sea Monster and Land of the Lost considered cartoons?  If these shows qualify as “cartoons” then The Monkees and The Banana Splits should have made the list.

I’d always thought that “cartoon” indicated animation.  Using that criteria then why didn’t Jonny Quest, Space Ghost, Tom & Jerry, The Roadrunner, and others not make the cut?  Bah!

R.I.P. – Fess Parker

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Fess Parker, best known for playing Davy Crockett in the 50’s and Daniel Boone in the 60’s died today at age 85.

Parker first gained fame playing Davy Crockett for Disney.  Although he’d played supporting characters [many uncredited] prior to getting the starring role as Crockett, it was almost a fluke that he ended up in the lead.  Disney execs were screening “Them!” to get a look at James Arness, who was being considered for the role of Davy Crockett, but they were so impressed with Fess Parker’s turn in a bit part that he ended up with the role that was make him known to millions.

After his run as Davy Crockett, Fess Parker appeared in several movies [perhaps the most famous being Old Yeller and guest appearances on tv.  In 1964, he again put on a coonskin cap and hit the big time.  Daniel Boone ran for 159 episodes from 1964 to 1970.  Not long after, Mr. Parker left show business to concentrate on real estate, and a winery.

I was a fan of the Daniel Boone series as a kid and spent many hours playing “Daniel Boone” with my friends.  I also had the Daniel Boone playset as a kid and spent even more hours playing with it.  I can still remember getting to see Old Yeller when it was re-released in the 60’s.  And of course watching Mr. Parker many, many times in his small but important role in the classic Them!

Mr. Parker is survived by his wife of fifty years, a son and daughter and many grandchildren.  My thoughts and prayers go out to his family, friends and fans.

SouthLAnd is Back, Baby!

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From Entertainment Weekly’s The Must List for March 19, 2010:

“SouthLAnd on TNT:

It’s been more than nine months since we last saw new episodes of this blood-and-grit cop series, but now it’s back and we couldn’t be happier.  It’s the best drama since the NBC fiasco that led to its cancellation.”

I’d just add two things: 1] I totally agree and 2] Thank you TNT for bringing SouthLAnd back!

24 to End… or Not?

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I’ve been a fan of 24 since uh, the first day… okay, the first show of the first season.  In fact I’ve never missed an episode.  So you can imagine my frustration at the recent talk that this could be the last season of 24, especially since this season is so good!

There’s been speculation that there will be a 24 movie [or series of movies] for years. Now there’s talk that NBC might be interested in picking up the series should Fox decide to let it go.  If, FOX pulls the plug on 24, I’d rather see it stay alive as a tv series, so this is especially great news.

A Lawman by Another Name is Justified

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Last August I posted about a tv show called Lawman that would premiere in 2010.  At that time I said that it looked interesting enough to make me want to tune in.  Well, tomorrow night that will happen.  Although the title of the show has been changed, my feelings about it haven’t.

The series is now called Justified and is based on an Elmore Leonard novella called Fire in the Hole.   So at 10pm, I’ll tune in to FX hoping that my feelings are, uh, justified.